The Afghan Education Minister, Farooq Wardak, confirmed last month that Afghanistan would continue to reopen schools following the withdrawal of overseas forces. 700 schools that had been shut down by attacks across the country have now been reopened, and the number of students in the school system has increased from about 900,000 in 2001 to 10.5 million in 2014, 42 per cent of whom are girls. Mr. Wardak also said that a decade ago, there were only 400 teachers being trained, while now there are some 77,000.
Though the commitment to reopening schools and increasing the number of teachers trained are more encouraging signs of a recovering school system, there are still some concerns about Afghan security. A UN report from last year counted 167 separate incidents of attacks affecting education, 49 per cent of which were carried out by armed groups, including Taliban forces. Attacks included intimidation, threats against students and teachers, suicide and IED bombs. Mr. Wardak said opposition from the Taliban was waning in some areas of the country, and that some schools even relied on the Taliban for security. “We’ve had to work with conflict for 35 years,” he said. With the withdrawal of Western troops from the region, there are continuing fears of a reassertion of power by the Taliban and other armed groups.
Mr. Wardak did remain optimistic about the future of education in Afghanistan, and that he wanted to see Afghanistan become a “mainstream member of the world community.” He added that by 2020, every child would have a place in primary education.
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Written by Alex Leedom